Who is Earl Spencer, the man at the centre of the latest royal saga?
Earl Charles Spencer is facing public scrutiny following the release of his new book, which contains controversial claims about King Charles III's reaction to Princess Diana's death. The book has reignited debates about royal family history and the privacy of the late Princess's sons.
Why it matters
The ongoing public interest in the British royal family continues to influence media narratives and public perception of the monarchy.
When Earl Charles Spencer delivered his powerful eulogy for the late Princess Diana, he pledged to protect her sons - whom he referred to as "blood family" - from the anguish that regularly drove his sister "to tearful despair".
Nearly 30 years on, claims made in his new book risk , as one British newspaper put it, plunging a "dagger into the heart" of those two sons.
Spencer claims his former brother-in-law - now King Charles - launched into a "stream of anger" over the phone following Diana's death, after Spencer argued she would not have wanted William and Harry to take part in her funeral procession, according to excerpts published this week.
The King is also accused of saying, "we'll forget her soon enough" - a claim Buckingham Palace has firmly rejected.
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